Construction of concrete piles



Oct. 9, 1928.

A. HlLl-:Y

CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE PILES 2 Sheets-SheetI W//ff/,C/ //k W/ Oct. 9, 192s. 1,686,660

. A. HILEY CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETEYPILES Filed Nov. 14, 1927 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 9, V1928.v

UNITED STA '1g-Es*PATENroFFiCE.

ALEEED HIDEY, or EICKMANSWOETH, ENGLAND, AssrGNoR 'ro THE nnir'isnhsf'rriiin riLiNG COMPANY, LIMITED, or wEs'rMiNs'rEE, ENGLAND, A BRITISH oomPANY.

CONSTRUCTION' OF CONCRETE PILES.

. Application filed November 14, A1927,- Serial No.

This inventionrelatesto the construction of .concrete piles in Vaccordance withthe method forming the subject of prior British Patent No. 197,430 in which the concrete is .deposited from atube and tamped and consolidated within aliole in the ground by' vertical vibratory movements given to the and the tamp-ing of the deposited concrete by a downward movement of the tubeV under the combined, influence of gravity and the torcev exerted by the downward pressure or blows of the hammer. Under :this: method `as described in the specification of the said patent the length of the pi'le'is determined by tlie length of the tubefand as the latter canfV not, torpractieal" reasons, conveniently be made of greater llength than about iiftyfive feet, this represents` approximately the maximum length ot. a pile that can lbe madeV by the said method Without joining on'fadditional lengths of tubes which `is disadvantageous;. Y It occasionally ha.ppens,"liowever,

that a .suiiiciently firmvv stratumoff ground for the 4support of the pile has'not been reached at the depth*` corresponding' to, thesaid-*maximum length of pile andthe chief object of the piresentinventionis'to provide tor the construction of aA pile which is not limited by the' length of Vthe tube.'

According: to 'the' inventionv a pilot pile kis driven into the ground by tlieaforesaid tube under'the `influence, of' downwardb'lowsv of tliehaminer, until: a suiciently irni stratunji* is reached, whereupon concrete in a plastic condition is pouredintothe tube .and is de`` posited' and tamped in the holeontop of the'pilot pile'byvibratoi'ymovements of the tube under the' influence of upward and# downward blows of the fhammer. n Thesaid pilot pile may be pre-cast, that Vis to say cast in any suitable manner andbrouglit to' the scene of' operations for being'drivenvinto the ground, but it is `preferably constructedf inthe ground *by the vertical vibratory movements given to the 'concrete-containing tube asaioresaid` and 'when the p ilot pile'becomes sufficiently liard"(whielr with rapidly hard- 2332395111161 in Great Britain October 29, 1926.

ening cement will occur in two or three days) the tubeV is-4 again brought into operation' to drive tliepilot pile and complete theV pile vby forming arv seconder main pile above'it in the lmanner hereinbefore described.. If a into the groundby the .tube and a. third pile is formed in thej manner abovedescribed above the second pile. Thus with a tube thirty-three feetV long.' with a piling yframe about fifty feet high, a com-pound pile of about sixtyfeet in length can! be made in two v i separate .operations and one ofabout ninety feet in. length canbe. made inthree separate l operations'. The hammer mayV be' controlled y as described' inthe specification yof the .afore-4 saidpatent so that it caiiat 'will be 'used for' driving vthe tube Vor for givin'gvvibratory;

invements yto the tube whilst forming the pies.

In order kto enable-the' concrete at the top,Y of the pilot pile (whetherit vbepre-east or V(':onstruoted in situ) to.v safely withstand the driving vforce of lthe tubethe t'op` may be ittedwvith a metal rim of.:adeiiuateV area:

and strength Vand below this a'steell casing14 eoV may b e plaf'zvedv and filled; with? concrete.:` The said casing' is a permanent oneand is for-maintaining the cmpressional lstrength oi the concrete which'ha'sv to take large driving stresses near thetop'of the pilot .pil-e.

Thesaid rim is placed inposition after the casing' isv filled- .with concrete byfhand. A'. concrete' extension orhead of smaller 'dily ameter than the pilot .pilelisl formed abovethe level of* ther-'im by means of a detach,- able mould casing fand'tofthe louter surface of thishead-there may be attached blocks of `Wood or other'material' capable ofbearing e. the concrete Ldui'ing the formationo thea' second'pile'labove the pilot pile. Y

In order that'the' said'inv'ention may be" .pilot pile has been formed andthe steel'V shewing' the 'pilot pile 'driven a short @stance below the surface of the ground,

Figure l5 is asection talien approximately onthe line 5, 5 of Figur-e 4,' .'lfigure @is 6 of Figure 4,

AFigure '7 is a side elevation of the mould casing for formin the extension or head ofthe pilot pile, aiid Figure 8 is a plan of ligurev 7. A is thel pilot pile which -in the example shewii in the drawings' and about to beV de-` scribed is constructed in situ byv vertical vibratory movements given 'to aconcrete-containing tube B by anupwardly and downwardly striking `hammer in the 'manner described in the speciiicationof the af .said Patent No. 197,430.` The top "of the pilot pile finishes a short `distance (2 feet for example) beneathy the general surface ofthe ground which isV scoopedA out as Vshewii in" Figure. l.' This is to venablev the aforesaid 4Irimand casings to be placed in positionk as willbe described. The pilot pile is reinforced `with suitable reinforcing members and the longitudinal members arecarried a substantial distance above the top of the pile as'shewn to forma strong bond with the secondor main pile when`-the latter is formed on top of the 'pilot pile. VVhenthe concrete of the pilot pile has set sulhcientlyV a mild steel casing or band C is placed in position .at the top and is lled by hand withvplastic concrete;v A cast iron orstecl driving rim Dfis then. placed in position within thetop oortion of the casinnvor band C. A tivoV part mould casing E heldtogether by hoops El (see Figure 7) is thenplaced in position resting on the rim D. This casing E, vwhich is of smaller diameter than the pilot pile and preferably taperingas shewmis filled with plastic concrete by `hand and isfoimed with holes E4 for the receptionofy metal cross-rods E2.- Vhen the concrete in the niouldcasing` E hassuliiciently set, the said casing is removed, leaving the cross rods in position in the head or extension A* of the pilot pile A thus formed. Blocks of woodEa, A(four in number for example) are then attached to the head or ertensionby meansfoff the rods- E2 and the completedpilot pile istlien left to' set suliiciently to withstandv being driven into the ground -within the tube B.

section taken on the line 6 which, witlifrapidly hardening cement, will occur in two or three days. VThe said blocks E areof such size as to fit fairly loosely After the completed pilot pile has suiiiciently set,'the 'tubeA B is brought into operation to drivethe pilot pile before it until a sufficiently firm stratum has been reached, a coil DX of several turns of hemp yarn being; placed betweenthe lower part of the tube l and the driving rim D s -o as to ensure water tightness between these parts. During the time that the pilot 'pile is being` driven the blocks E3 lform directional guides which prevent the pilot pile from deviating from a straight'course.V This con-- dition is represented in FigureQ. Concrete in a plastic condition is 'then poured into the tube B and is deposited and tamped'in the hole on top of the pilot pile byvibratory movements of the tube under the'in-"l Y fiuencs of upward and downward blows of the haminfr as aforesaid, the spaces'between the blocks ils providing for the passage ofthe concrete. The second or main pile thus constructed is represented atF'in FigureV 3. The said pilotpile has at-its lower end a metal shoe A1. which was at the Ylower' end 'of the tube B wheiithe llatter was'.

driven into the ground ingtlie pilot pile'. When a precast preparatory to :form-V pilot pile employed it is providedwith the'casingv or band C,vr

the driving-rim D, the heador extension i* andthe blocks E3 as above described fore it is driven into theground.

If a. sufficiently firm stratum has not beenv reached. ,by the4 ytime the-'pilot pile .AY .hasY been driven into the ground byanamount' corresponding to the full length of. the tube- B, the'compound pile composed of the pilot pilerl and the seconder mainpile F` are driven into the ground bv the tube and' a third pile is formed in the inaniierabove described on top of the pileF;v in Vthis case the head of the pile F would be constructed in a similar manner to thatabovev described in connection with the pilotpileA.

The determination of when af sii-ficiently firm 'stratum has been reached can readily be effected by ascertaining the extent-towhich. Jthe pilot pile moves downwards at each blow i of the vhammer and this rendersit ,possible to deterrriine the bearing capacity of ftheY pile without its being necessary actually to load the head of the pile asis customary;

whereupon the pile can, at will, be seither;v

left or-lengthenedv as the case requires.'

In cases where vthe ground is of a very .soft nature the concretefor the pilot pile maybe deposited in the manner above described within ay 'surrounding casing which is placed in the vground Vso that it encoinpassesthe concrete depositingv tube B whicli'can be withdrawn freely within it, and this AVpre? vents the concrete from departing materially;

from its straight sliape.V Again,vwhen the upper' stratumy is of a veryisoft nature, or is actually liquid, as in a riveror harbour,

the shoe then usedy would be Yof suitableV length and may extend from the rim D on. which the tube bears above ground, to the pointed end so as to reach a bed which is capable of holding up the Weight of `the parts concerned bei'ore the hammer for driving the shoe is brought into action. This extended shoe may bel filled With concrete prior to its being placed in position. Vhat I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is n l. A method of constructingconcrete piles which comprises depositing a mass of plastic concrete in a liolein the ground, allowing Said concrete to set to form a pilot pile, driving said pilot pile into the ground until a sufficiently firm stratum is reached and then illingthe hole formed by the pilot pile with plastic concrete and allowingitrto set.

2. A method of .constructing concrete piles which comprises forming a liole in the Acondition into 'the tube,

ground, depositing plastic concretevin said hole through a tube, tamping said plastic concrete by vertical vibratory lmovements given by upward and Y'downward strokes of a hammer to said tuberas it' is beingwithdrawn, allowing the concrete to set to form a pilot pile, kdriving saidlpilot pile to the required depth in the lground by means of an empty tube,

tamping the concrete-'in the yhole above the -pilot tube by vibratory movements 'ven to the tube' b upward and downward1 movements of a ammer. v

3, A concrete pilot pile having a reduced portion at the upper end thereof over which a driving tube for said pilot pile is adapted to pass, transverselyV extending rods empouring concrete yin a plastic' and depositing and v bedded in said reduced'fportionwith their endsprojecting beyond fthe sides thereof,

and blocks secured to thel pro]ect1ng portions 45 of said rods for. guiding the driving tube.

` ALFRED HILEY. 

